Achieving comfortable luxury, this project demonstrates in an exemplary manner the realisation of a sustainable design philosophy in a large-scale residential development. Care has been taken to specify materials that perform well environmentally and to closely observe passive design principles. Robust exterior materials and rigorous formwork give the house a sense of permanence; this house, one feels, is here to stay for many generations. Internally, the design sensibility is relaxed, favouring warmth and textural richness – an approach that fitted the client’s brief for modern informality.